Jason "Mayhem" Miller wants to continue his reign in mixed martial arts.

Frank Trigg wants to re-establish his.

The battle of wills — and wits — should make for an intriguing fight when Miller and Trigg meet in the main event of the Icon Sport: Unstoppable card at the Blaisdell Center Arena tomorrow.

Miller's Icon Sport middleweight (185 pounds) world championship will be at stake. Miller is 17-4, including 8-0 in Hawai'i.

"I don't look at fights in terms of big or small, because every one is big," Miller said. "Not to speak in the third person, but there's always a chance that somebody out there is watching Mayhem Miller fight for the first time, so I feel like I have to be at my best every time out."

Trigg is 13-5, and he was ranked among the top 10 170-pound fighters in the world throughout 2005.

"I'm always looking for a challenge, and this is definitely going to be a challenge for me," Trigg said. "I'm moving up to a heavier weight class, and against a guy who, on paper, is supposed to be better."

Miller and Trigg are both reputed to have sharp skills in the ring and sharp tongues out of it.

As Trigg put it: "Half the time, I'm unhinged. I never know who I'm going to (upset) with something I say. But this guy (Miller), he's mentally unhinged, too."

Miller is considered a jiu-jitsu expert, and 12 of his 17 victories have come via opponent submission. He won the Icon Sport championship in September with a choke-submission of Robbie Lawler.

Trigg is known for his "ground and pound" style, and seven of his 13 wins have come via knockout.

Miller — who was raised in Atlanta, but now trains mostly in Honolulu — has captured the imagination of fight fans in Hawai'i with his colorful antics and playful personality.

At a press conference this week to promote tomorrow's bout, Miller showed up in a University of Hawai'i football jersey. On a recent edition of the OC-16 cable television show "Countdown Hawai'i," Miller was picked as one of the 10 most popular figures in Hawai'i.

"It's not like I'm Elvis making an appearance here," Miller said. "But I really do feel like the Hawaiian people have responded to who I am and I really appreciate it."

In preparation for Trigg, Miller recently joined Team Quest, a mixed martial arts school based in Oregon. The leader of Team Quest is former Ultimate Fighting Championship superstar Randy Couture.

Dan Henderson, one of the world's top 185-pound fighters, also trains with Team Quest and he will be in Miller's corner tomorrow.

Trigg, who is originally from New York but now trains in Las Vegas, has already fought some of the best. From 2003 to '05, he was under contract with the prestigious UFC organization.

He worked his way up to world title contention, but lost twice to former UFC champion Matt Hughes, and once to current champ Georges St. Pierre.

After his last bout — which also took place in the Blaisdell Arena — Trigg announced his retirement after losing to Carlos Condit.

"It was fun sitting on the couch, eating chicken and drinking wine," he said. "I got up to about 220 (pounds)."

Trigg said his retirement plan was to focus on his broadcasting — he is a color commentator for the Pride organization of Japan.

"I thought if I dedicated myself to broadcasting, the bug (to fight) would go away," he said. "It never did."

NOTES

Former Icon Sport champion Robbie Lawler will not fight on tomorrow's card as originally scheduled. He suffered a broken hand during training this month in Iowa, prompting officials to cancel his bout.

Another former Icon Sport champion, Falaniko Vitale of Waipahu, also will not appear due to an injury. Vitale was supposed to fight in a 205-pound bout, but he suffered a knee injury in training.

TOMORROW'S CARD

185 pounds (Icon Sport world championship): Jason "Mayhem Miller vs. Frank Trigg. 170 (North American championship): Sidney Silva vs. Jay Jack. 135 (Hawai'i championship): Tyson Nam vs. Mark Oshiro. 205: Jeremy Williams vs. Ron Fields. 160: Kyle Miyahana vs. Marshall Harvest. 160: Chris Cisneros vs. David Padilla. 135: Paul Gorman vs. Ikaika Silva. 210: Maui Wolfgram vs. Ben Fonoti. 145: Vinny Delos Santos vs. TBA. 195: Ron Verdadero vs. Ross Hose. 145: Lorenzo Moreno vs. Sadhu Bott. Heavyweight: Jacob Cook vs. Chavis Victoria.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.